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 THANK YOU!
Many people stopped by to tell me how much they enjoyed and learned from Trevor Eissler. His talk about why he is passionate about Montessori education impressed all of us (around 200 people!) on Thursday evening. He combined his family's experience at their Montessori school in Austin, TX, with his career as a pilot, his many interests and his strong belief that life is full of excitement and discovery. The event was filmed by OK Video and the DVD is available at the library, if you missed the presentation.
Other excitement has followed the evening with Trevor. We launched the Annual Fund Drive on Monday with music, surprises for the children and an opportunity to hear all about our focused fundraising. Many children have stopped by the lobby to hang a leaf on the Giving Tree with their parents. Some have asked what the money donated will fund. The answer is easy: It supports the operating budget of the school. Tuition does not cover all the costs of the building, salaries, benefits, classroom materials, playground equipment, sports, technology, Montessori materials and many other things that make our school unique.
Each gift is significant. So far, we have raised more than $32,000 - 30% of our $100,000 goal! Our other goal is to achieve 100% participation among our families and staff by the end of our drive on October 31 - we have already received pledges from every member of the Board of Directors! Even small gifts make a big difference. When we approach foundations for larger grants and gifts, it is important to be able to tell them that each person in our community has supported the annual fund. Your gift's impact will multiply! Along with making a gift at our Annual Fund table, you can give online at www.wmsde.org/annualfund. In addition to immediate donations, pledges are also accepted. Just ask the front desk for a form. Thank you to everyone for your support!
Thanks to all of the families and staff who are helping with the campaign this week, and the musicians who are here at the beginning and end of each day: Atiba, Leslie Carey, Heather Siple and alumna Becky Siple who did face-painting, Michael Johnson on the guitar, and Cass Winner with spin-art! Stay tuned for next week's events.
BIG NEWS!
The new toddler class opens on Monday. Sarah Grant will stay in Room 1 and Jane Miner will be in Room 2, with lots of continued interaction between both rooms. We are excited to welcome the new families to WMS. Our enrollment total now is 220 children.
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October
17 Online Book Fair Opens
Click here to shop for
books online and support
WMS through one of our
school's favorite fundraisers!
18 Montessori Madness Book Club
9 a.m., Room 26
See Co-op Corner for details
19 WMS Family Night at Ramsey's Farm 5:30-8 p.m. View event on Facebook 22-26 WMS Book Fair Great Room Details24 Book Fair - Family Night 6:30-8:30 p.m. Gym & Great Room Please note that the date on the original events calendar, 10/25, was incorrect.
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26 & 29 School-Wide Parent
Conferences
No classes.
Child care is available.
Sign up online.
30 Parents vs. students soccer
3:30 p.m. on the soccer field
31 Halloween Parades
Gym & Great Room
Details
November
2 Montessori Madness Book Club
Second meeting - 9 a.m.
Last day of Online Book Fair
3 Admissions Open House &
Performance by Clem Bowen
Open House - 10 a.m.
Performance - 11 a.m.
Tell a friend! See Theresa for
flyers to share!
5 Montessori Monday - Admissions
9:30 a.m. - Tell a friend!
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 Coming next week - the WMS Book Fair!
Wilmington Montessori School's annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held Monday, October 22 through Friday, October 26. The hours of the fair are:
- Monday, October 22 - 2:30-4 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 23 - 8:30 a.m. - noon and 2:30-4 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 24 - 8:30 a.m. - noon, 2:30-8:30 p.m. (Family Fun Night and after-school shopping!)
- Thursday, October 25 - 8:30 a.m. - noon and 2:30-4 p.m.
- Friday, October 26 - 8:30-10:30 a.m.
To help your child find the best books, all elementary students will visit the Book Fair during class time and will be allowed to purchase books during that visit. You may also visit the fair with your child before or after school. If you cannot attend, you may use the Book List order form and send it back to school with your child or visit our online Book Fair starting today through November 2.
 Our Family Night event will be Wednesday, October 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Your family can shop together, participate in activities and enjoy refreshments. There will be several crafts and games for all ages. This year, kids can dress up as super heroes and can win prizes for best costumes. There will also be pizza for sale in the gym. We also invite you to stop by the Classroom Wish List display while visiting our Book Fair. We are busy building up each classroom library and adding new titles. Help add books to our classroom shelves by purchasing books and donating them to your child's class.
This year, we again have the opportunity to bring more books to our students and classrooms. We call it One for Books. Look for the collection jars at the cash register tables in the Great Room and the gym near the food during Family Night. All of the money collected goes directly to purchasing more books for WMS. In addition, Scholastic Book Fairs will match the One for Books dollars you raise with a donation of up to one million books to three non-profit organizations devoted to improving reading skills among children: Kids in Distressed Situations Inc., National Center or Family Literacy and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
We appreciate your dedication to creating lifelong readers. See you at our Book Fair! Co-op volunteers are still needed for this event. Check out the sign-up page and volunteer for specific days and times that work for you!
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Encouraging Our Children Toward Independence
Weekly Parenting Tips
by Certified Parent Educator (and WMS Great-Grandmother) Yvonne Nass
Whose job is it?
Very often in our haste we take on "jobs" that belong to our child. The "job" of self-care is definitely easier if we do it ourselves, but what does that teach our child?
Every time we do something for our child that is his responsibility, the unspoken message becomes: "You are not capable." This message is never our intent. Without meaning to, we help our child to begin to believe he or she can't do it as well as you, which may eventually result in the child deciding to give up, saying, "I can't, I'm too little and expect you to do it."
If you have delayed allowing your child to take on his or her own self-care, then discuss which activities he or she feels ready to handle and begin there. If your child is fighting you to do it, let him! There is nothing to appreciate or say "thank you" for if you don't allow your child the joy of taking care of himself.
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Hunter Clarke-Fields to Host Book Club - Starting tomorrow!
 Many co-op jobs are generated by requests from teachers and administration, but some of the best ideas come from parents. Hunter Clarke-Fields, mom of Maggie (Room 15) and Sora (Room 4), will be leading her second book group starting tomorrow, Thursday, October 18 at 9 a.m. (Room 26).
Hunter led her first WMS book group two years ago. "It was fun and inspiring to do a book group. It brings parents together and lets us explore topics that are pertinent to kids, " Hunter said. Book group members will read two or three chapters in advance of the book group meetings, and have lots of time to discuss. "I will prepare some questions to guide the group, and we will share from personal experiences," Hunter added.
This book group will be focusing on Trevorʼs book "Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education." Hunter invites all of our WMS community to join in: "You are welcome to come to any one of our discussions. But I hope you come to all of them."
Copies of the book are just $10 and are available at the front desk. Thank you, Hunter!
As always, if you have questions or comments about co-op, please email us at co-op@wmsde.org. We love to hear from you! Visit the Co-op Board across from the library to check out the latest co-op opportunities available. |
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WMS Family Night at Ramsey's Farm - This Friday (October 17)
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Join other WMS families for a night of fun at Ramsey's Farm this Friday at 5:30 p.m.!
Meet other WMS families, and enjoy hayrides, an 8-acre flashlight corn maze and bonfire with your family and friends. Find the WMS table in the picnic area for snacks and to say hello! You may bring food for a picnic (tables and charcoal grills are available for your use). Please bring your own flashlight and cooking utensils! Location: Ramsey Road (just past 500 Ramsey Road) Wilmington, DE 19803 View map and directions.
Prices: $8 - Ages 5 and up
$3 - Children under 5
(Pay when you get there!)
Don't forget to wear your WMS attire!
The last hayride of the night begins at 8 p.m. and the park closes at 9! Find out who's going - check out the event page on Facebook and let others know that you'll be there too by RSVPing! |
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Saturday Open House and Clem Bowen Concert - November 3
On Saturday, November 3, WMS will host a Saturday Open House for prospective families, starting at 10 a.m., followed by a performance by musician and storyteller Clem Bowen at 11 a.m.
Open House The open house will include an introduction to Montessori education, a brief school tour and a chance to visit classrooms. Know a family that would be a great fit for our community? Please invite them to attend! Those attending the open house should RSVP to admissions@wmsde.org.
Clem Bowen Performance Did you miss yesterday's concert and nature walk, or do you and your child want more Clem? The entire WMS community is invited to attend the performance, and we encourage you to bring a friend!
See Theresa for copies of our Open House flyer to share with your friends and family!
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Halloween at WMS
Please join us for our annual Halloween festivities, outlined below: 9:30 a.m. - Preschool parade begins in the Great Room. Classes will parade around the gym once to show off their costumes, then parade down the hallway past Cass's office and the elementary after-care rooms, around the loop by Rooms 15/16 and back to their classrooms.
11:15 - Elementary parade begins in the gym. Each class will parade around the gym once then past the front desk, down the hallway past Cass's office and the elementary after-care rooms, around the loop by Rooms 15/16 and back to their classrooms.
Families and friends are invited to line the hallways along the parade route for both age groups, and return to their child's classroom for refreshments. In addition, we ask that children's costumes meet the following rules: - No weapons of any kind are allowed as part of a costume.
- Costumes should not contain blood, guts, or gore.
- Hair color and makeup should be applied at home, not brought to school.
- Since we have very young children at our school, please make sure that costumes are not frightening to small children.
If you have any questions, please see your child's teacher. |
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Start gathering your Junque 'n' Treasures...
... for our Spring 2013 Rummage Sale!
More information coming soon! For now, check out our donation requirements at www.wmsde.org/rummagesale. |
The Wednesday Weekly promotes WMS news and events that are relevant to the families in our community. Please send submissions to wednesday-weekly@wmsde.org by 4:30 p.m. on the Friday prior to the issue in which you wish to include your information. Content may be edited for length and style and may be held for a future issue due to space constraints. For more information, contact Noel Dietrich.
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Our Mission
Wilmington Montessori School is a collaborative learning community rooted in Montessori principles, inspiring the joyful discovery of self and a passion for learning and independent thinking. We empower children to be knowledgeable and responsible contributors to the global community.
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